Prof. Al-Zakri: AOU offers excellent learning opportunities

Prof. Mohammad Al-Zakri, President of the Arab Open University (AOU), highlighted the University’s pioneering role in developing higher education and serving the Arab communities in which its nine branches operate. This came in a speech delivered by him during a workshop on Performance Evaluation and Resource Development organized on the sidelines of the 62nd AOU Council.

at the opening the workshop, Prof. Al-Zakri welcomed the attendees, and commended the AOU’s achievements and successes as well as its educational, research, development and training services to its affilates and the Arab communities.

Prof. Al-Zakri said that the workshop is one of the University’s workshops whose aim is to develop the AOU, meet its needs, face challenges, and work in the spirit of one-team in order to achieve its noble mission and its strategic plans and programs in coordination with various public and private institutions and organizations and implement the vision of HRH Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, Chairman of the AOU Board of Trustees.

He added that the AOU is a leading example of the high quality educational system that provides learning and training opportunities to all. He pointed out that the AOU has become a reality in the world of blended learning, a means of providing labor markets with qualified cadres, and one of the vital streams of the comprehensive development of the country and the society.

Al-Zakri said that the AOU is proud to be the first Arab university in adopting the blended learning system, which combines traditional learning (Face-to-Face) with self-learning and e-learning, adding this high quality learning system is accredited by local and international accreditation bodies. The AOU has also taken the lead in offering the opportunity to deaf and hard-hearing students to obtain Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and it preceded many Arab universities in terms of student academic performance, geographical spread, and the number of its buildings.

The workshop discussed a number of topics and reports on the development of resources, the assessment of AOU senior staff’s performance, and the conclusions of the Open Universities’ Heads Meeting, which was held in Canada in October 2017.

The meeting of the 62nd University Council was held last week at the Headquarters’ building approved the minutes of the previous meeting and followed up the implementation of the resolutions and recommendations. In addition, the meeting addressed a number of reports of future work committees that are to be submitted to the supreme councils to approve them. During the meeting, a number of recommendations of 70th and 71st academic committees were also approved.